Three things

Three things that have made me very happy in the last 24 hours:

1)  I got my new iPhone case in the mail yesterday!  I ordered it from etsy and I love it!  I'm really into stripes at the moment and I love the aqua and coral color combination.  It's much prettier than the beat up, all-black case that I've been using for the past 16+ months.

2)  I tried another new recipe for dinner last night and Harper ate it!!!  Two nights in a row!  If you are interested, I made Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie.  Nothing gourmet by any means!

3)  I had a good work out this morning and when I went to pick Harper up from the Kids Club, I was greeted with a huge smile from Harper and a "she's so good!" report from the staff.

Okay, so 4 things have made me very happy :)

Cake pops + Homemade Hamburger Helper

Some friends and I took a cake pop making class on Saturday.  I honestly thought the class was going to be like the cupcake decorating class that we took a couple years ago--basically just a fun time with friends.  This was different though.  It was a good time with friends AND I really learned how to make good cake pops!  

Funfetti with Sprinkles. Love!

I also managed to get a few pictures of Harper yesterday...

I can only get action shots these days.  As soon as I pull the camera out, she comes running at me to look at the pictures. 

We took Harper to a birthday party on Saturday.  We learned that Harper is very scared of clowns.  And kids with their faces painted.  

Also worth noting... I'm on a mission to get Harper to consume more iron.  {It's wonderful being a dietitian and a mom.  Just wonderful.}  I tried a new recipe last night and, to my delight, it was a success!  Homemade Hamburger Helper.  It's a very easy, tasty and pretty healthy dish {I used whole grain pasta and extra lean beef.}.  Harper has also started eating avocados.  Thank goodness.  I think avocados are my favorite food ever and Jason won't have anything to do with them.  

Well, off to iron.  Yippee.

Life at the moment

Excellence Playa Mujeres

Remember this post from last June when I said I'd like to be on a beach in Mexico for our 10th anniversary this year?  Well, that trip is booked!  Except it's not on our anniversary.  We're going in April with 2-3 other couples.  I'm so excited!

I can't help but feel anxious and guilty about it though.  Anxious about being away from Harper for 6 nights {we're staying in Mexico 4 nights + 2 nights in Houston before and after the trip--I'm already sad about leaving her}, guilty about asking Jason's parents to keep her while we're gone, and guilty for spending the money when there are a lot of other big expenses this year {LASIX, hopefully a new house, and very likely fertility treatments for baby #2}.

But... we are celebrating our TEN year anniversary this year... and this will hopefully be the last vacation for a long time if God's timing matches our own :)  Plus, it will be nice to be gone for a few days while our house is on the market.  

Speaking of the house hunt... we met with a realtor last Friday.  It was eye-opening to say the least.  We knew that we would have to list and sell our house for less than what we payed based on what homes are selling for in our neighborhood.  We did not, however, realize how much you have to pay to sell your house.  It doesn't look good.  

And in case you care, we have changed our minds AGAIN about where to live.  We are now looking at homes in Sugar Land once again {that was where we started looking originally}.  We like Sugar Land because of location {much closer to friends and activities in Houston than Katy would be + shortest commute for Jason}, exemplary schools {but only in certain sections}, much lower property taxes than Katy, and Sugar Land has TONS of great restaurants, shopping, a Whole Foods, etc.

Only problem is that houses sell quick in Sugar Land, and we are limiting our search to certain school zones.  So the chance of us selling our house and finding a house to buy at the same time seems almost impossible.

So that's what we're up to at the moment.  Only one week until I have LASIX done.  A little nervous about that...

And can you believe I haven't taken a single picture of Harper in the past week?!  So no photos for the blog, but there have been some new things in the past week.  She started saying "night night", making noises for lions, cats, and bees {she roars, meows and buzzes}, and she points to everything and says "this?"  And I mean, everything.  {I was a little unprepared when giving her a bath last night, if you know what I mean.}

Well, it sounds like Harper is finally settling down and about to go to sleep {she's been playing in her crib for at least 45 minutes now}.  Time to be productive... or try to take a nap myself.  It is Friday after all ;)

Edits for the last post

Harper is playing happily in her crib with Panda and Pooh at the moment.  I have decided not to change her nap time.  Why should I be bothered by her taking longer to go to sleep?  She's happy.  I get a longer break.  I'm not sure why I was concerned about it.

Other edits to my last post:

-Harper is back to sleeping ~10.5 hours at night this week {At least she plays happily in her crib for awhile when she wakes up, too.}
-She still loves turkey meatballs.  {And now she loves pound cake thanks to Kim giving her some at dinner club on Sunday ;) }
-She blows and fans her food when I tell her it's hot. {I think it's really cute and I didn't want to forget about it when I make her photo book later in the year.}
-New words this week: she said "fish" yesterday when pointing at a fish in her book, and she said "car" today when we were on the toy aisle at Target.  {And no, I did not buy this little girl any more toys!  We had to get a birthday gift.}
-The faucet extender is great!

An easier time washing her hands is about the only advantage to her growing.  Her ability to reach just about everything now is a pain!

16 months

Harper is 16 months today!  I think it's been about 2 1/2 months since I've done a "what Harper's up to" type of post.  Which means that it's been 2 1/2 months since I've documented anything.  

So this post is mostly for me.

Let's see...

Harper loves:

-Books.  It amazes me how much she enjoys sitting and looking through them on her own.  Her favorite spots include her PBK chair or the kitchen rug.

-Puzzles.  She pulls them out several times a day and she has mastered all of them--even the ones she just got from Nannie for Christmas. 

-Playing outside.  She really enjoys riding in her new wagon and swinging at the park.

-Music.  She lights up and starts dancing when a favorite song comes on.  She has also started "singing" to familiar songs--like Twinkle Twinkle and BINGO.  It is so incredibly cute.  

-Playing with her stuffed animals and doll, Ellie.  She lines them up, rubs noses with them, loves on them, feeds them... and she now sleeps with Panda and Pooh.

-Playing on the iPad or iPhone. And throwing tantrums when we don't let her.
-Her toy phone.  She puts it up to her ear and says "weh-wo".
-Taking everything out of our bathroom cabinets
-Taking my work out tanks out of my drawer and wearing them around the house

-Climbing
-Baths
-Washing her hands in the sink {we just ordered one of these}
-Throwing trash away in the trashcan {boogie wipes, feathers from the couch...}
-Carrying Jason's lunch box around the house and saying "bye bye"

-Balls {throwing them, bouncing them, carrying them...}
-Playing with her cousins 
-Puppies
-Eating with a fork.  But not with a spoon.  Is there such thing as a spoon phobia?  Or mushy food phobia?  Harper has one of those.
-Helping me around the house

Favorite foods: pumpkin or banana muffins, waffles, kolaches, grapes, pizza, cantaloupe, cheese quesadillas from Freebirds, black beans, pretzels, taco casserole, Chick-fila nuggets

Sleep: Harper has been sleeping a little longer at night {11-11.5 hours usually} and takes one good nap a day.  For the past 4 months she has gone to sleep at nap time {between 12 and 12:30} quickly and quietly, but recently she has been playing before falling asleep so I think I am going to move her nap to 1:00.

Things she has learned or started doing in the past 2-3 months:
-Blowing kisses
-Giving you 'five'
-Pointing to the correct objects in her books when we call them by name {and the correct family members in photo albums}
-She knows where her nose, ears, eyes, teeth, hair, toes and belly button are... she blinks dramatically for eyes, wiggles her toes, honks her nose {and your nose}
-She can say "hello", "ball", "this", "yes", "shoes", "duck", "pooh", "cheese" and she 'moos' for cow and 'barks' for dog
-She can follow two-step commands pretty well {"Harper, can you go to your room and get Ellie's bottle?"}

And she has learned how to be mischievous.  Really mischievous.

And now I feel caught up! :)

Christmas Snapshots

We had ourselves a very merry {and white!} Christmas in Longview with our families :)